Genealogy

The research office now the War Room will be closed until Thursday June, 15 2012, from 12-5.

Dixie

The life of a Civil War soldier was often difficult, from inferior clothing and equipment to scarce and barely edible rations, to the crushing monotony of camp life.  Many of the soldiers tried to distract themselves by singing and playing instruments.  The resulting music became a legacy of the conflict.

Music provided a much-needed diversion for both Union and Confederate armies.  It was used to rally troops, as recreation, and to march by, among other reasons.  Frequently both sides would borrow each other’s tunes or lyrics.  It was not uncommon for each side to serenade the other, or for battle to stop while an impromptu concert was held.  As the Union and Confederate armies camped across the Rappahannock River from each other in the winter of 1862-63, bands on both sides played the popular ballad “Home Sweet Home.”

Before 1862, new volunteer regiments usually included a regimental band.  When Union Col. Rutherford B. Hayes invaded Giles County with a regiment of 600 men in the spring of 1862, his band played a lively quick-step as his small force marched into Pearisburg.  One federal soldier described the week-long occupation as “the biggest picnic we have had since enlistment.  Whenever the band plays “Dixie” the whole town throws open windows and waves aprons and ‘kerchiefs.”

When the number of bands became unmanageable, many were disbanded and some were replaced by brigade bands to serve a larger contingent of troops.  Whether played by these organized bands or simply sung by the soldiers themselves around the campfire (accompanied by banjo, fiddle or harmonica), popular songs ranged from patriotic melodies meant for marching to aching ballads that reflected the soldiers’ yearnings for home and hearth.

Among the Union favorites were “Yankee Doodle Dandy,” “The Star-Spangled Banner,” “Tramp, Tramp, Tramp,” “Battle Cry of Freedom” and “John Brown’s Body” (later changed into “Battle Hymn of the Republic”).  Confederate troops enjoyed “Dixie,” “When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again,” “The Yellow Rose of Texas” and “The Bonnie Blue Flag.”

The upcoming Civil War Weekend in Giles County will feature some of these and other favorites.  On Saturday night, June 9, while downtown Pearisburg is filled with events and activities, the popular band “Sugar Run” will be playing Civil War-era music at the Historical Society from 6 to 9 pm.

The Giles County Historical Society works to preserve, interpret and exhibit Giles County’s rich historical and cultural heritage.  It provides a repository for Giles County family histories, documents and artifacts, assists genealogical researchers, and supports the preservation of endangered Giles County artifacts, sites and records.  The Giles County Historical Society, Museum and Gift Shop (921-1050) are open Wed-Fri from 12-5 PM and Sat-Sun from 2-5 PM.  Admission is free.  The Research Office is open on Thursday from 12–5 PM.  For more information, visit www.gilescountyhistorical.org.

When Union Col. Rutherford B. Hayes occupied Pearisburg for a week in the spring on 1862, his regimental band often played "Dixie", to the delight of local residents.

Civil War Weekend offers something for everyone

On Saturday and Sunday, June 9 and 10, parts of Pearisburg will be transformed into scenes from the most momentous period in the nation’s history.   The Giles County Civil War Sesquicentennial Committee is hosting a series of events to commemorate the 150^th anniversary of the Battle of Giles Court House.  Visitors will have an opportunity to observe and interact with soldiers from both sides in camp, in training, and in action.  They can view a re-creation of a Civil War hospital, be entertained by a snake oil salesman, join in a traditional Appalachian dance, and feast on Southern barbeque.  Finally, the will have the opportunity to observe a re-enactment of the Battle of Giles Court House, which took place on a beautiful Spring day in 1862.

Thursday, June 7 – “Skirmish at Pearisburg,” a talk by Al McLean

Author George A. McLean Jr. sets the stage with a discussion of the battle, subject of his recently published book “Skirmish at Pearisburg.”  7 pm, Pearisburg Town Hall.

Saturday, June 9  -  Memorial ceremony, parade, hospital, dance, dinner

At 11:00 am the day starts at the Giles County Courthouse, where Union and Confederate soldiers will gather for a memorial ceremony to honor the fallen of both sides.  Following an honor guard salute and a rendition of “Taps” (first played at a military funeral in 1862, and soon adopted by both sides in the Civil War) the reenactors and their ladies will march down Main Street to the Giles County Historical Society.

In the afternoon, from 1:00 to 5:00, the Confederate camp will offer Living History demonstrations for the public, and from 3:00 to 5:00 field artillery demonstrations will take place on the battlefield reenactment site.  The site is located on Rt. 100 beyond Bluff City near the PSA office.  Public parking will be available in the large field across from the concrete plant (see map). 

The evening festivities begin at 6:00 at the Giles County Historical Society, 208 North Main Street.  Enjoy a BBQ dinner catered by the Old Virginia Smokehouse, skits, demonstrations, exhibits, and Living History at the Yankee encampment on the grounds of the Andrew Johnston House.  The Giles County Historical Museum will be open, featuring two exhibits: “The Civil War in Giles County” and “On the Eve of War:  Artists’ Views of Giles County in the Mid-19^th Century.”

At 7:00 visitors will be taught the basics of traditional southern Appalachian dance, and from 7:30 to 8:30 all are invited to dance to the music of “Sugar Run,” featuring many tunes from the Civil War era.  Activities will cease at 9:00 to allow the Federal soldiers time to rest on the eve of battle.

That same evening from 6:00 to 9:00 at the Giles County Courthouse, visitors will be able to view a recreation of a Civil War hospital.  The Courthouse served as an actual military hospital throughout the war, and on Saturday night the ground floor will be furnished with cots, oil lamps, straw-covered floors, wounded soldiers, busy nurses and a military surgeon.   Civil War medical reenactors will be on hand to demonstrate the treatments available at the time.

All activities on Saturday are free of charge except the BBQ dinner.  Parking in town will be available in municipal lots, the Magic Mart lot, and on the streets.  Check www.gilescivilwarreenactment.com for more details, for a history of the Battle of Giles Court House, and also for specials offered by local inns and restaurants.

Sunday, June 10  -  “The Battle of Giles Court House”

At 10:00 in the morning the Union and Confederate camps are again open to the public, and will close at noon to prepare for the skirmish.  At 1:00 pm the battle commences!  Confederates and Federals will skirmish, canons will roar, and the wounded will be treated at a field hospital.  Duration will be approximately 40 minutes.  Bring your lawn chairs and plenty of drinks.

There is a modest fee for spectators.  Public parking will be available on the large field across from the cement plant.  Access to the parking will be via the old Wade’s parking lot, then under the 460 overpass.  Follow the signs to the parking area.  A limited amount of handicapped parking will be offered closer to the reenactment site; properly designated vehicles will be directed to that area by parking attendants. 

Call the Giles County Historical Society (540-921-1050) or visit www.gilescivilwarreenactment.com for more information.

Reenactors of the 83rd PA Infantry, the First Stuart Horse Artillery, and the 60th VVA Infantry (among others) will be clashing on the battlefield during Giles County's Civil War Weekend, June 9 and 10.

Civil War: The Union Invades Giles County, 1862

During the first year of the Civil War it became clear that the conflict would not be the brief, glorious fight that many on both sides had predicted.   It soon began to take a grim toll on both soldiers and civilians, and the Union found itself unable to defeat the rebel army.  Those first twelve months saw a humiliating rout at Manassas, followed by a costly victory at Shiloh, and the failure of the Peninsula Campaign to capture the Confederate capital at Richmond.

Federal forces were somewhat more successful in western Virginia, where unionist sympathies ran high.  During the winter of 1861-62 President Lincoln and his generals devised a plan to invade Southwest Virginia, capture its lead and salt mines and destroy the strategically important Virginia & Tennessee Railroad.  The railroad was part of a vital transportation network that kept the South – and the capital of Richmond – supplied with salt, munitions, food and other crucial supplies.

By the spring of 1862 Federal troops occupied almost all of what is now West Virginia, and had reached Raleigh Courthouse (now Beckley, West Virginia).  Stationed at Raleigh Courthouse was the Twenty-third Ohio Volunteer Infantry, commanded by future U.S. President Rutherford B. Hayes.


A 38-year-old Harvard-educated lawyer with no military experience before the war, Hayes had already proved himself to be a daring, ambitious leader much-admired by his troops.  Among the men of the 23^rd Ohio was a newly-promoted commissary sergeant, William McKinley.  A brash and spirited 19-year old, McKinley would also become President of the United States.

As part of the overall invasion plan, Union General Jacob Cox was ordered to lead two brigades up the New River, through the Narrows and Giles Court House (Pearisburg) and on to Central Depot (Radford.) The goal was to burn the covered wooden railway bridge across the New River near Central Depot.

Occupation of Pearisburg

By the 1st of May, Cox’s division had fought its way to Princeton, which was engulfed in flames on orders of the retreating Confederate commander.  Lt. Col. Hayes pushed forward into Giles County with 600 men of the 23rd Ohio.  By May 6 Hayes had passed through the undefended Narrows of the New River, occupied Pearisburg and encamped on high ground just south of the town at the base of Angel’s Rest mountain.

Hayes wrote of his first impressions: This is a lovely spot, a fine, clean village, most beautiful and romantic surrounding country, and polite and educated Secesh people…I find more intelligence and culture here than anywhere else in Virginia.

Private E. E. Henry, was also taken with the village and its surroundings: In the beautiful town of Pearisburg a mountain is near, called Angel's Rest.  The fields are full of grass, clover, and bumble bees humming around.”

Henry goes on to describe the occupation of Pearisburg as something akin to a schoolboy caper:

We capture Confederate money, our expert penmen sign the new bills…. We buy palm leaf hats, sorghum, hams, bacon, everything to suit our fancy; go the hotel, look over the register, and sign our names, order dinner, call ourselves Colonels and Generals.  The rebel citizens do not seem to know that we are high privates.  We eat and give toasts, make speeches to the delight of the servants, and then march out as though we owned the hotel. The storekeepers are jolly, saying, "Have a good time boys, General Lee will not allow you to stay but a few days."  This is the biggest picnic we have had since enlistment. Whenever the band plays "Dixie", the whole town throws open windows and waves aprons and 'kerchiefs.

Another soldier, Private John Ellen, took a dimmer view of the citizenry:

The town abounds in liquor and cross men and women.  The women are a little insulting; they hate the Yankees.

The Federals captured a large amount of food and supplies stored in the Presbyterian Church on Main Street.  Across from the church was the elegant brick home of Dr. Harvey Green Johnston and his nearby medical office.  Tradition holds that Hayes set up his headquarters in the doctor’s office, and took his meals at the Woodrum Hotel (now the Chamber of Commerce.). 

With the Federals now within twenty miles of the strategic railroad bridge near Radford, Gen. Henry Heth, commander of the area’s Southern forces, managed to cobble together an army of some 2000 men and five artillery pieces.

Hayes soon realized that the gathering Confederates force far outnumbered his regiment of around 600 men.  Heth also had artillery while Hayes had none.  Hayes sent a series of desperate but unheeded requests to his commander for reinforcements.

Battle of Giles Court House

Early in the morning of May 10, the Confederates attacked Hayes’ first line of defense just south of town.  In an hours-long running battle the Federals fell back through the town and up the river, making several futile stands along the way. At the Narrows, Heth continued to pound the Union troops with artillery.  Hayes was wounded and his regiment retreated to Princeton.

Total casualties of the skirmish were two or three killed on either side and several wounded.  Local legend has it that as the Yankees fled town they set fire to the supplies in the Presbyterian Church.  The formidable ladies of Pearisburg formed a bucket brigade and extinguished the flames.

The action at Giles Court House effectively ended the Union advance to Central Depot and saved – for a time – the strategic Virginia and Tennessee Railroad.  It can even be said that Hayes’ defeat ensured that Giles County remained a part of the state of Virginia, and not part of the new unionist state of West Virginia.  Giles County remained relatively peaceful until Union Gen. George Crook marched through the county in 1864 after the battle of Cloyd’s Mountain.

Commanders at the battle of Giles Court House.
Gen. Henry Heth (R) drove Lt. Rutherford B. Hayes and his 600 men out of Pearisburg on May 10, 1862. Hayes was elected President of the United States in 1876.

19-year-old Sgt. William McKinley served under Hayes during the Civil War. He was elected U.S. President in 1897 and was assassinated four years later.

Skirmish At Pearisburg

Do you want to learn what the upcoming Civil War Weekend is all about?  On Thursday evening, June 7, at 7 pm, the Historical Society will present an illustrated lecture and book signing by George A. McLean Jr. at the Pearisburg Town Hall, 112 Tazewell Street.  McLean will discuss his newly-published book, Skirmish at Pearisburg, the first in-depth study of the Union invasion of Giles County in 1862.

Al McLean is a native of Giles County, where his father operated a pharmacy for many years.   After graduating from Pearisburg High School, he attended Hampden-Sydney College and the University of Richmond School of Law.  He has practiced law in Roanoke since 1974.  

McLean, whose ancestors fought on both sides of the Civil War, has had a life-long interest in the subject.  Skirmish at Pearisburg is the result of many years of research, and places the action at Giles Court House (as Pearisburg was often called in the 19^th century) in the context of the greater conflict.

“The skirmish was significant for several reasons,” says McLean.  “It saved the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad, and it can be argued that the Confederate success prevented Giles County from becoming part of West Virginia. “

It was also a testing-ground for the Federal commander, Lt. Col. Rutherford B. Hayes.  A young officer with little military training, Hayes’ actions established a reputation for audacity and courage. 

“It had to be a defining moment for future President Rutherford B. Hayes,” declares McLean.  “He was in a tight spot. To a man his men praised him for his calm leadership that allowed them to successfully retreat from a far superior force.”

Hayes’ regiment, the 23^rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry, produced an impressive number of future leaders in the post-war era, including two Presidents (Hayes and William McKinley), six generals, a U.S. Supreme Court justice, a U.S. senator, four congressmen, four governors, and four lieutenant governors.

McLean’s lecture will also illuminate some of the lesser-known stories of the invasion, including a curious incident involving Col. George S. Patton (grandfather of the famed WWII commander), as well as the exploits of Ellen Adair, whom McLean dubs “the Scarlett O’Hara of Giles County.”

The program is free and open to the public.  Call 540-921-1050 or visit www.gilescountyhistorical for more information.

The Giles County Historical Society Receives Grant from the Community Foundation of the New River Valley

  The Community Foundation of the New River Valley has chosen the Giles County Historical Society as one of its 2012 spring grant recipients.  The proposal entitled “Putting Power to Our Point” received $400 for a digital projector for its new lecture series.  The Community Foundation funds a variety of projects across the New River Valley believing that modest grants, like the one received by the Historical Society, can have tremendous impact on local communities.  This spring the foundation awarded over $26,000 to local non-profits.

In 2011, the Historical Society hosted two lectures:  “The Mystery at Mountain Lake” by Detective Mark Skidmore of the Giles County Sheriff’s Office (September), and “Lost Communities of Virginia” by local author Terri Fisher (November).  Both presentations were well attended.  Based on these number and the positive comments received about the two lectures, the Historical Society decided to offer a lecture series as part of 2012 calendar of events.  Among the goals of the lecture series are to promote the cultural and historical heritage of Giles County and the New River Valley, to showcase local authors and historians, particularly those beginning their careers, to provide an avenue for the public to learn more about Giles County beyond simply viewing artifacts, and to create dialogue about the culture and history of Giles County and the New River Valley and how the influences have impacted the community.

The Historical Society’s next lecture will be Thursday, June 7^th, at 7:00pm at the Pearisburg Town Hall.  To kick off the Civil War Weekend, Giles County native and Roanoke attorney George A. McLean Jr. will be discussing his new book The Skirmish at Pearisburg, the first comprehensive history of the Union invasion of Giles County in 1862.

On June 23^rd, the Historical Society presents “The Negro Spiritual: History and Performance” at 3:00 at the First Baptist Church of Virginia Heights in Pearisburg.  A talk by Virginia Tech professor Dr. Paula Marie Seniors on the origins of the spiritual and its role in African-American culture will be followed by a performance by the “Spirits of Joy.”   For further information on the lecture series visit www.gilescountyhistorical.org.

The Giles County Historical Society works to preserve, interpret and exhibit Giles County’s rich historical and cultural heritage.  It provides a repository for Giles County family histories, documents and artifacts, assists genealogical researchers, and supports the preservation of endangered Giles County artifacts, sites and records.  The Giles County Historical Society, Museum and Gift Shop (921-1050) are open Wed-Fri from 12-5 PM and Sat-Sun from 2-5 PM.  Admission is free.  The Research Office is open on Thursday from 12–5 PM.

  In one of the Historical Society's lecture series, Giles County Sheriff's Investigator Mark Skidmore describes the investigation into the body found at the bottom of Mountain Lake in 2008. The Historical Society received a grant from the Community Foundation of the New River Valley to purchase a powerpoint projector so that lectures can now be hosted at the Museum.

Traditional American Dance Workshop

Don’t let the Giles County Civil War Weekend sneak up on you without attending a

Traditional American Dance Workshop

Saturday, May 19

3 – 5 pm

Pearisburg Community Center gym

taught by “Wild Bill” Anderson

sponsored by the Giles County Historical Society

In two hours you will master the Virginia Reel, the Texas Star, Appalachian circle dance, and other favorites of the 19^th century.  The class is for beginners and those who want a brush-up to prepare for the Traditional Dance on Saturday evening, June 9, at 7 pm at the Historical Society.  No partner is necessary – just bring gym shoes or sneakers, a towel and water!  Cost: $5.00.  Call 540-921-1050 to register!

For more information visit: www.gilescountyhistorical.org and www.gilescivilwarreenactment.com